Prepare your home garden with help from the Town Farm experts Saturday

Planting summer’s veggiesErich and seven-year-old Teddy Carroll plant seeds in trays at the Trustees of Reservations greenhouse recently — “40 degrees outside, 75 inside!” said event organizer Steve Connors. The planting drew a good turnout of volunteers who planted seeds that will soon be transplanted into vegetable gardens including those at Westport’s Town Farm. They also learned planting tips that they can use for their own seedlings and gardens.

Spring is here and many seasonal activities are getting underway at the Westport Town Farm, managed by The Trustees of Reservations.

On Saturday, April 13, South Coast Farm Manager Steve Connors will be joined by local gardening expert Sarah Lavalley for an informal informational session with tips on planning and preparing this year’s home garden. Topics covered will include soil testing and preparation, choices of vegetables and flowers to plant, and how to successfully grow and harvest a good crop. This is the fourth annual offering of this popular program.

“This program is fun because it becomes a large group discussion about methods of gardening. Each person has had experiences of success and failure in the garden, and we all end up learning new things from each other,” said Steve Connors.

The presentation will be from 10 a.m. to noon at the Westport Town Farm. Those interested in attending should register by phone at 508-636-4693 x103 or by email to: sconnors@ttor.org. The event is free and open to the public.

With the arrival of the new growing season, volunteers are always welcome to help out in the gardens. May activities will include planting beans, lettuce, broccoli and onions, as well as annual and perennial flowers.

The annual Volunteer Kick-Off Day is planned for Saturday, May 25, when the summer crops – tomatoes, peppers and eggplant – will be planted. Volunteers of all ages are invited to come out to the beautiful gardens to lend a hand. No minimum time commitment is necessary. Several other summer events are planned for Town Farm, and for the newly expanded gardens at Cornell Farm in Dartmouth. More information on spring and summer events can be found at www.thetrustees.org.

The Westport Town Farm has been the site of the Trustees’ Community Gardens for the past five years, with the South Coast Youth Corps and local volunteers helping to raise more than 20,000 pounds of sustainably grown produce. Most of the food grown in the gardens has been donated to the Westport Council on Aging’s Food For Friends program, and to the United Way of Greater New Bedford Hunger Commission.

The Westport Town Farm is located at 830 Drift Road, Westport. For more information, please call the Trustees’ office at 508-636-4693, or email to sconnors@ttor.org.